Second Language Research Methods
Elana Shohamy
Herbert Seliger
Oxford Applied Linguistics
Based on a set of four research parameters, this book discusses the development of research questions and hypotheses, naturalistic and experimental research, data collection, and validation of research instruments. Each chapter includes examples and activities.
Herbert W Seliger, Elana Shohamy
Second Language Research Methods
Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP
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Acknowledgments
We wish to thank our respective families for suffering through the birth pangs of this book. We hope they will regard the result as worth the effort.
We would also like to thank our students, who have responded to much of this material and who have taught us much about the problems encountered in the first stages of carrying out research. Finally, we wish to acknowledge the contribution of our fellow second language researchers. May we all continue to learn from each other.
Introduction
What this book is about
It is evident to anyone reading research in second language acquisition, that the field is inter-disciplinary. The study of second language acquisition can be linguistic, psycholinguistic, sociolinguistic, sociological, psychological, and educational. That is, it draws on a wide number of perspectives about the phenomena of second language as well as the research methodology associated with these different disciplines.
We have tried to give equal focus to a variety of approaches to research in this book but realize that we could not hope to describe all the possible methods or all of the possible types of research. We have, therefore, tried to describe what could be considered paradigmatic types and principles of second language research. The possible designs of research in second language are only limited by the ingenuity of the researcher and the conditions under which the research is being conducted.
The purpose of this book is to introduce the process of carrying out research in second language acquisition and bilingualism. The book is aimed at those who are new to second language research, or who may have done some research without guidance. It is intended for graduate and undergraduate students in courses in research methods and design, specifically in second lang